


pretty things

by childofthenight2035



Series: Put Your Glasses On [8]
Category: GOT7, JJ Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Fluff, M/M, music producer!Jaebeom, preschool teacher!Jinyoung
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23995288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/childofthenight2035/pseuds/childofthenight2035
Summary: "Mr. Park, do you have a boyfriend?""Yes, I do."Cue tears.In which Yugyeom is surprisingly emotional about Jinyoung's relationship status.
Relationships: Im Jaebum | JB/Park Jinyoung
Series: Put Your Glasses On [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1685593
Comments: 21
Kudos: 200





	pretty things

“Mr. Park?” 

“Yes, Lia?” 

“Guess what?”

“What?”

“No, you have to guess.”

“Of course, how silly of me. Um, your neighbour’s dog turned into a pig, and came into your kitchen and got mud everywhere.”

The little girl bursts into giggles and Jinyoung can’t help the smile that crosses his face. “ _No_ ,” she says, “my brother’s getting _married_.”

 _Well, how on earth would I be able to guess that?_ he thinks, but he puts on an enthusiastic smile. “Really? That’s great! You must be so excited. Are you going to be a bridesmaid?”

She’s confused and he supposes she’s not familiar with the term. “Um. My mom said I’m going to be the flower girl.” The smile is back. “And I have to walk and I have a…a bas—basset? (“a _basket_ ”, he corrects) a basket with flowers and I have to throw them.” She picks up the paper she is drawing on and he sees…ah. A whole lot of flowers.

“That’s very good, Lia,” he says. “Your brother’s lucky to have such a wonderful flower girl.”

She beams.

There’s quiet for a few moments. His half of the kids are very focused on their pictures and Ye-eun is on the other side of the room finishing up a story for the other half, pairing them up and assigning them simple reading tasks. She makes a goofy face at him when he looks at her.

“Mr. Park?” It’s a different young voice this time.

“Yes, Yuna?”

“What’s _married_ mean?”

 _Oh, crap,_ he curses. Ye-eun, who has just crossed the room to them, sniggers.

“Tell them, Jinyoungie,” she prompts, flicking his ear as she passes. He swats at her. 

“Marriage, huh?” He draws in a deep breath, trying to buy time to think up an excuse. He doesn’t know how to make up stories like the ‘stork bringing a baby’ thing. He’s not prepared for this. “Well, when two people (well, in this society, anyway, but that’s a whole other thing, you’ll learn that in social justice) really love each other, they think, well, _I really love this person and I want to spend my time with this person_ , then they get married. Which means they’re allowed to live together—”

“Oh, so you’re married to the twins now?” Ye-eun smirks when he glares at her. 

“They’re children; I don’t need to complicate things for them, they’ll do that on their own.” He turns back to his now eager bunch of students. “Yeah, so…your parents are married, right, Yuna? So that means they love each other very much—”

“Not always.”

“—Shut _up_ , Ye-eun—and they want to make a family.” He gestures to her. “That’s all. There’s sometimes a big party when people get married and everyone has fun. That’s what Lia was talking about, right?”

“You can _make_ a family? Can I do it?” Yuna asks. 

“You already have a family, Yuna,” he explains patiently. He doesn’t need a stream of angry parents complaining to him the next morning. “You and your parents and your grandparents and all of them, they’re your family—”

“Not always.”

“—Ye-eun, I swear—and when you’re old enough, you can make another family if you want to. But you don’t have to worry about all that until you’re much older. Okay?”

The children nod obediently. 

“Mr. Park, are you married to Ms. Shin?” Another little boy, Bambam, asks. 

Jinyoung can’t even respond, because Ye-eun immediately makes an exaggerated retching noise and the kids giggle. “Are you kidding me? No way I’d marry _him _. Besides,” she grins, elbowing him, “he doesn’t swing this way, right?”__

__He sighs, ignoring her comment. “No, neither of us is married, Bambam. Not yet, anyway.”_ _

__“Speak for yourself,” Ye-eun mutters, mainly for his benefit. “I can’t even think of my pending projects, forget getting married.”_ _

__Jinyoung looks on in pity. “Well, I’d like to. Someday.” She gives him a knowing look and he’s suddenly worried Jackson might have gone back on his word after all._ _

__“My brother has a _girlfriend_ and he loves her,” Bambam says. “Do you have a girlfriend, Mr. Park?” _ _

__Ye-eun laughs. “Does he wish.”_ _

___Patience, Jinyoung. Patience._ “No, Bambam, I don’t. I have a _boy_ friend.”_ _

__There’s a chorus of ‘ooh’s (including Ye-eun) and he asks them to get back to their drawings. They’ve been distracted enough. There’s peace for a moment and Ye-eun returns to her set of students to monitor their progress. His students come up one by one to submit their drawings to him as they finish, before running off to play. The day’s almost done._ _

__“Mr. Park?”_ _

__Jinyoung pauses in his admiration of Bambam’s castle, pushing up the glasses he’s started wearing more often. “Are you finished, Yugyeom?”_ _

__He nods, sliding over his paper. Jinyoung doesn’t want to admit that he doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be. “Very good, you can go play now.” But the boy doesn’t leave. He’s rocking from side to side like he’s embarrassed. “Gyeom?”_ _

__“Do you really have a boyfriend?”_ _

__Yugyeom was very focused on his work all throughout the marriage discussion. He didn’t think the child even paid any attention to it. The question is also a high-risk one, because yeah, he does and it’s his uncle. The kid can’t possibly suspect that. Perhaps he’s responding to the heteronormative society they live in. Maybe he’s already been told that a couple is a man and a woman. Might as well squash that thought._ _

__“Um, yeah,” he says slowly. “I do.”_ _

__“Oh.” Jinyoung narrows his eyes, because Yugyeom looks and sounds so _disappointed_ for some reason. His face screws up a little and he runs after his friends outside to the playground. _ _

__Ye-eun shoots him a puzzled look from across the room._ _

__Jinyoung has been around Yugyeom enough to know the telltale signs of a tantrum, signs that he’s going to cry and make a fuss. But what triggered it this time? That just came out of nowhere!_ _

__He stands, placing Yugyeom’s artwork on the pile and follows his path to the back door. He scans the playground for Yugyeom, or at least Bambam or Jungkook, and at last spots the tiny human sitting on the ground near the fence on the opposite end of the yard. His little hands are balled up at his eyes and he’s shaking with sobs._ _

__Jinyoung is concerned now._ _

__“Yugyeom?” he asks as he approaches, squatting down near the boy. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” The kid doesn’t reply or even acknowledge his presence. “Gyeom?” He reaches out to console him, but Yugyeom squirms away from his touch and his arm falls. “Did I do something?”_ _

__This makes the boy lift his gaze and look at him. He’s still crying heavily, but shakes his head._ _

__That does not reassure Jinyoung. Unsure, he opens his arms._ _

__Yugyeom stares at the space created there and the teacher can almost see the gears in his brain turning, debating. At last, he crawls forward and hooks his arms around Jinyoung’s neck, sobbing into his shoulder._ _

__Jinyoung holds him tight, rubs his back soothingly, but the tears don’t stop. He tries to pull back a bit, but the boy’s grip only tightens._ _

__Ye-eun, bless her, assesses his situation and calls the children in herself as their parents arrive. When the sky starts to darken, she ushers everyone inside. Jinyoung, stiff from kneeling for so long, gathers Yugyeom into his arms and carries him inside. He’s still sniffling, but turns his head away when Jinyoung tries to look at him._ _

__“What happened?” Ye-eun whispers. He raises a hand, silently saying that he would tell her once the kid went home. There’s another fit of tears before Yugyeom tires himself out and falls asleep in his teacher’s hold._ _

__When his mother finally does arrive, she’s surprised to see that her son is asleep, unusual for the bubbling bundle of energy._ _

__“Mrs. Kim, I truly don’t know what happened,” Jinyoung explains as Ye-eun fetches Yugyeom’s things from his cubby. “He just started crying and wouldn’t stop. Tired himself out. I’m sorry, I don’t—”_ _

__She places a hand on his arm, taking the child from him. “It’s alright, Jinyoung, you don’t have to apologize, I’m sure it’s nothing.” He nods, still worried. “Have a nice evening, dear.” She smiles at Ye-eun as well before letting herself out._ _

__“What was all that about?”_ _

__Jinyoung explains all that he knows and a sly smile creeps across her face._ _

__“Ooh, looks like someone has a crush on Mr. Park!” she teases. He rolls his eyes, but even he can’t think of a better explanation. She follows him to the art corner, ruffling Jeongin’s hair as she passes him. “Well, I mean, you can’t blame him,” she continues, helping him put away the supplies. “You’re pretty and babies like pretty things.”_ _

__He can’t even tell if that’s a compliment, not with her. “Gee thanks, Ye-eun,” he says dryly._ _

__There are a couple more children left to be picked up and he wishes their parents would just get here. He’s due at the gym soon and he wants to see Jaebeom. “I never thought I’d have to break a three-year-old’s heart for his uncle,” he mutters under his breath._ _

__Ye-eun hums, then drops the crayons in shock. “Wait, _what_?”_ _

__“ _Shit_.” Jinyoung is miles ahead of her, smacking the side of his head. “I didn’t say anything—”_ _

__“His _uncle_?” she shrieks. “You mean _Jaebeom_?”_ _

__Jinyoung hisses, eyes darting to the two innocent souls sitting on the carpet and playing with building blocks. “Will you keep it down, woman?” She seizes his elbow and drags him into the staff room._ _

__“You’re sleeping with him? With Jaebeom?”_ _

__He winces. “No, I’m not _sleeping_ with him—”_ _

__“Technicalities.”_ _

__“—and shut up about it, no one knows except Jackson.”_ _

__She crosses her arms. “Well, yeah. It’s against the staff rules.” She plants her hands on her hips. “I mean, I figured you were seeing someone, with your stupid dopey smiles and all, but I didn’t think you’d go all out like that.”_ _

__He sighs. Jackson said the same, but promised to keep it to himself. “But he’s not a parent or legal guardian, so _technically_ —”_ _

__“Oh my garlic cheesecakes,” she says (he’s still not used to her weird expressions yet). “You’re whipped. Totally whipped.” Even as he opens his mouth to protest, she goes on to proclaim, “I never thought I’d live to see the day _Park Jinyoung_ , nitpicker extraordinaire, breaks one of the staff ground rules. Oh, success is sweet, but blackmail is sweeter.”_ _

__“What have I done?” he mumbles, ears hot._ _

__“But in all seriousness, Jinyoung,” she says suddenly, expression solemn and clapping a hand on his shoulder, “get that D.”_ _

__“Oh, fuck off,” he snarls, yanking her hair. “Remind me to never let Jackson near you again.”_ _

**Author's Note:**

> gosh i love writing these, yugyeom is the cutest  
> also yeeun is me


End file.
